"I fought hard today" - Nadal on close encounter in Barcelona opener

Eleven-time champion Rafael Nadal faced an uphill battle on Wednesday at the Barcelona Open, but was able to overcome Ilya Ivashka to advance to the round of 16.

Having never lost to a qualifier on clay (38-0), the Spaniard was on the verge on being on the wrong side of history as Ivashka took the first set with some aggressive baseline play. However, the top seed fought back to prevail 3-6 6-2 6-4 after two hours and 20 minutes.

“He played well. He played at a very high level, and I didn’t, especially at the beginning,” Nadal said in his post-match interview. “And then I think I changed a little bit the way I played. I was more aggressive later, and the match changed a lot. I’m happy I fought hard today to be in the third round. That’s what I needed after the loss at Monte-Carlo.”

Coming off a quarterfinal exit at the Monte-Carlo masters, there were questions regarding Nadal's form and even health. Although the 34-year old looked shaky in the first set against Ivashka, he put all fears to rest as he powered through the Belarusian to extend his record in Barcelona to 62-4.

“I’m sure that I’m going to have the chance to play better, and I’m going to fight for it,” Nadal said. “I have the confidence that I’m not very far from playing well, even if the last two matches here and in Monte-Carlo haven’t been perfect. But here I am, and I am with the right energy to try hard. It’s a process… I’m confident that by working every day I’m going to find right the solutions.”

The Spaniard next faces Kei Nishikori in what should be a thrilling match, as the former World No.4 upset 13th Cristian Garin 7-6(5) 4-6 6-1 in just under two and a half hours.